The EU's approach towards
making "deals" on migration with non-EU states continued
with the signing of a "common communique" with the
government of Mali on 11 December in Bamako. In the communique,
the EU and Mali commit to drafting a 'Joint Roadmap' that will
focus on the creation of employment for young people; the "reinforcement
of coherent and robust civil registration systems"; the
introduction of biometric passports; border "management"
procedures and "better control of the territory"; countering
trafficking and smuggling and returns from Europe to Mali.

"In a letter addressed
to the Secretary of State for Migration and Asylum of Belgium,
Mr Theo Francken, published today, Commissioner Muinieks
warns against resuming the practice of detaining migrant families
with children.

Referring to the Secretary
of States recent general policy statement, the Commissioner
considers that the intention to open closed family units near
Brussels airport would go against the best interests of the child.

Immigration detention,
even as a measure of last resort and for a short period of time,
should never apply to children because it is a disproportionate
measure which may have serious detrimental effects on them
says the Commissioner."

"2016 now holds
the sad record of the highest recorded death toll for refugees
on route to Europe.

4,900 people have died
trying to cross the Mediterranean. This is 1,000 more than in
2015, despite the number of refugee arrivals in Europe going
down by over 60%. At the same time, EU funding to tackle the
refugee tragedy has increased. Its primary border agencys
budget increased to 238.7 million, an incredible 67.4%
increase compared to the year before. So why is EU funding failing
so dramatically to save human lives? "

"The package of
11 actions for an amount of almost 170 million consists
of:

- regional projects
to build the capacities of countries of the Horn of Africa to
manage migration, including to fight against human trafficking
and smuggling of migrants and through the development of rights-based
and sustainable return and reintegration policies (30 million);
- a project in three cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia
and Sudan to address the drivers of instability and forced displacement,
and support cross-border peaceful cooperation and sustainable
economic growth (63.5 million);
- support to refugees and host communities in northern Uganda,
in response to the recent large-scale influx from South Sudan
(10 million);
- projects creating employment opportunities to address socio-economic
grievances of young people in Kenya, Djibouti and Eritrea (totalling
25 million). For example, in Djibouti 3,000 people will
be trained with relevant skills to access the job market; 75%
are expected to have found employment within 6 months of the
training;
- support to the people in Sudan, with three projects to address
instability and forced displacement through resilience actions
to improve access to, and quality of, primary education, benefitting
90,000 children and training 2,000 teachers country-wide (22
million), strengthen livelihoods in Southern and Eastern regions
(9 million) and enhance nutrition of 400,000 women and
children in North-Eastern Sudan (8 million);
- a regional monitoring and learning system (2 million)
to complement the on-going Research and Evidence Facility which
is expected to include (but not be limited to) information on
the drivers of migration, dynamics of cross-border economies
and centre/periphery relations, drivers of radicalism and violent
extremism."

"It has been a
record year for Italy's coastguard, with nearly 180,000 people
rescued in the Mediterranean. Around 170,000 people were rescued
from migrant boats in 2014, with another 153,000 picked up in
2015 and nearly 180,000 this year, including 4,000 just last
week, despite worsening weather at sea, AFP reports. The government
says rescue operations at sea cost 1.5bn this year, with
an extra 2.3bn spent on reception."

City Plaza is a refugee
accommodation and solidarity space in the heart of Athens, Greece.

What?

Following the closure
of the borders when the EU trapped almost 65,000 refugees in
Greece, the Greek government created more than 49 detention centers,
hotspots and camps. City Plaza offers a safe and dignified alternative
to these places where the conditions are wretched, unclean and
inhumane.

On the 22nd of April
2016 refugees, volunteers and solidarity activists occupied City
Plaza Hotel which had been closed for 7 years.

"Ahead of International
Migrants Day, the Red Cross EU Office urges the EU and
its Member States to take decisive action to protect the dignity
of migrants in an irregular situation.

Migrants in an irregular
situation are among the most vulnerable people in Europe. Yet
many of their needs are not addressed as they often live in the
shadows of society, for fear of being apprehended. They frequently
live clandestinely, and face significant difficulties in accessing
basic services and vital assistance like healthcare, education,
or legal support. "Although the numbers are difficult to
measure, we know that this group is growing, as people fall off
the grid because they are either denied asylum, or choose not
to apply in transit countries. Our members are concerned by the
increasing vulnerability of the migrants they encounter through
their work, underlines Denis Haveaux, Director of the Red
Cross EU Office."

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